Franz adds to menu, contemplates late-night service

He fries eggs with swift precision. He makes the campus-renowned “J.B.” sandwich. He greets every customer with a smile.

He’s that dude in the Laundromat. People know him.

He’s Franz Guest, owner of Franz’s Food. Franz has been a fixture on Main Street for the past eight years, serving an original selection of breakfast items, sandwiches, burgers, and fries to Durham locals and hungry UNH students.

And he doesn’t sit still.

This week, Franz is making some notable changes to his extensive menu. He’s adding three new breakfast sandwiches to a brand-new menu display. His credit card machine now operates through an Internet connection, resulting in speedier food purchases. And he’s even contemplating a return to late-night service, something he hasn’t done for years.

“I have a new manager,” Franz said, explaining this year’s onset of innovation. He said that was the first step in attracting enough employees. Only now has he begun toying with the idea of a late-night service for the college crowd, something he’d rather not do on his own.

“It’s like pulling an all-nighter night after night,” said Franz of the proposed 2:30 a.m. closings on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

If attempted, Franz said he would plan on selling breakfast items – ham and egg sandwiches, the “J.B.” – along with hot dogs, fried chicken, fries, and coffee. The coffee would be a “big public service,” as far as Franz is concerned.

“I think late nights are a good idea,” said Franz’s new manager Amelia Curtis, 20. “I don’t see why drunk UNH students wouldn’t want a J.B. in the morning.”

Franz hired Curtis last August. A lifelong Durham resident, Curtis has worked at a number of downtown shops and restaurants, including the Durham Marketplace and a stint managing Young’s restaurant.

The three new sandwiches will be introduced on the new menu by Saturday, Franz estimated.

“This is a big thing for me,” Franz said. “The menu board used to be all paper, now it’s vinyl. It’s more professional.”

The “Dr. G., “G.B.L.T.,” and “Annie’s Big Beef,” all combinations dreamed up by Franz and his staff, each have unique ingredients and creation methods.

The “Dr. G.” consists of fried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, an egg with melted cheese (“preferably cheddar,” Franz suggested), bacon, ham or sausage and hots on a flame-grilled bagel (plain or sesame).

• Facebook Comments
• Site Comments

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out